Someone the other day said to me when I was reading in the library, “wow it’s rare to see a girl with beauty and brains!” And I was thinking, “No sir, it is not hard to find women that are beautiful and that are smart”. Society just tells us that we cannot be both, but we do exist. Society has forced us to only check one box, beauty OR brains.
Then I thought about myself, and all of the other women who are labelled as just “beautiful”. We are more than that. When are we going to stop putting women in boxes? Get dressed, curl our hair, go to work, look pretty, smile, do as someone says, go home, clean, have children, make dinner, shave our legs, smile again, REPEAT.
As women, let’s choose to not live inside of this box that society has built for us. Let us help other women get out of this box!
I refuse to live in a box of systemic societal pressures and just to fit someone’s definition of womanhood. So on this day, I vowed to myself I would never just call a woman “beautiful” because we are more than that. I don’t just want to be pretty. I will refuse to just be labelled as meek or emotional. I refuse to feel like I have to be skinny, or feel soft or have a nice laugh. I refuse to do what I’m told and surrounded myself with patriarchy and oppressive constraints.
I am resilient, I am rule-breaking. I am ridged and also free. I am powerful and strong, and I will say no! I choose to be smart, and witty. I choose to be daring and outspoken. I choose to wear what I want when I want and have this not impact my values.
No sir, I do not need help with my groceries, changing my tires, getting this promotion or crossing the street. Yes, I am going to stand up against oppression and have a voice on equal pay. Yes, I am going to speak out when I feel I am not being heard. And yes you are also right, I AM BEAUTIFUL TOO. But I am not just that!
All of the choices that I make, for myself, empower me and will hopefully empower other women.
So to all my women out there, get yourself out of that box. You do not have to just be beautiful because you are more than that.
“Carry out your curiosities, despite the corruptions you experience. You let yourself free when you let yourself forgive”
-Britta, B, "Dear Young Women"
Watch this short video called “Dear Young Women”
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